I attended a travel camp during my summer break as a teenager. They were the greatest summers of my life. There were four girls in particular that I met who have had a remarkable impact on my life. We all first connected on our trip to Baltimore Harbor back in 2007. We went to grab some lunch at Five Guys one afternoon, and it was after that that I knew that we’d be the "Five Girls" for life! Since then we have been through high school, prom, graduation, and college together.
Camp friendships are some of the strongest bonds that you can form. I'm lucky that I met four amazing girls back when I was in travel camp. We don't get to see each other as often as we used to, but we are still a close bunch. It's funny how we can pick up where we left off after not seeing each other over a long period of time. I don't know where I would be without these girls. I’m always comfortable and able to be myself around them. We get along so well and have a blast laughing, joking, and being silly whenever we are together.
There are a myriad of things I could say about these incredible girls. We have created fun memories as a group over the years. I know that they are there for me. I can trust them to help me or give advice when necessary, and I have their back no matter what.
We all are very diverse people when it comes to career paths, interests, and hobbies. We are sort of like The Spice Girls. Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger, and Posh Spice all had different interests and opinions, but they ultimately unite as a group. Even though our choices differ, we still come together and have a great time. That’s what makes our camaraderie so perfect. We share likes, dislikes, stories, goals, hopes, and dreams with one another. Our friendship means the world to me, and I would do anything for them. People who have camp friends are very lucky! These are the people you choose to spend your summers with. It is one of the best type of friendships to have.
I consider these four girls to be my honorary sisters. As every day goes by, I’m glad I have these four with me through all of it. Here are some beautiful lyrics written by my friend, Anna Brooks, about the five of us before our freshman year of college:
can’t ask for any more than laughter,
as we hatch and plan
our dreams
we’re still looking for the answers,
to fill the lines, the
in-betweens
—-
so little time together,
to learn those beaten tracks to
you,
I’ll close my eyes and let remember
sun and Baltimore blues
—-
take
these snapshots of our lives,
these times to talk,
these times to cry
kick
off the summers, every time
and keep off these winter blues
snatch up the
moments,
here with you
—-
can’t keep the same directions,
as we go off and
find our lives
catching on to all our chances,
and burning down the
lies
—-
miss you all in Carolina,
those Virginia beach-front rooms
chasing
down our every fancy,
summer nights I know with you
—-
take these snapshots
of our lives,
these times to talk,
these times to cry
kick off the summers,
every time
and keep off these winter blues
snatch up the moments,
here with
you
—-
I want to keep you all,
beside me
don’t want to ever,
let you
go
but I’ll let you fly,
without me,
and in summer skies,
I see you
float
—-
take these snapshots of our lives,
these times to talk,
these times
to cry
kick off the summers, every time
and keep off these winter
blues
snatch up the moments,
here with you.
2007 vs. 2015
